Compressor or turbine rotor blade stages in gas turbine engines may be provided with shrouds that maintain clearances between the tips of the rotor blades and the shrouds over a wide range of rotor speeds and temperatures. In certain instances, the shrouds may thermally expand or grow radially at a different rate than the engine casing. Depending on how the shroud is coupled to the engine casing, the difference between the thermal growth rates may result in misalignment between the shroud and the tips of the rotor blades, which reduces efficiency of the compressor or turbine. Moreover, depending upon how the shroud is coupled to the engine casing, stresses may arise in the shroud and/or the engine casing due to the difference in the thermal growth rates.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved coupling system and method for coupling a shroud to an engine casing, which provides radial compliance and reduces stresses due to differences in thermal growth rates. Moreover, it is desirable to provide a complaint coupling system and method, which reduces manufacturing costs. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.